Fran Friel ([info]franfriel) wrote,
@ 2009-04-22 12:47:00
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Current mood: chipper
Entry tags:lynn viehl - publishing reality

Times Best Seller Viehl Shares Financial Realities of Publishing

















Truth Be Told
Wow, it certainly is refreshing to hear the truth for once. A long held sacred cow of the publishing industry is the silence of publishers and authors about advances and royalty statements. The marvelous NY Times Best Selling author, Lynn Viehl (also, S. L. Viehl), lays it all on the line, including her royalty statement, to dispel some of the myths and exaggerations about the writing business.

CLICK HERE to read Lynn's excellent article!

What do you think? Is this similar to your experience or that of your colleagues? Any wisdom, hearsay, ranting to add to the subject?

Have a rest of the week!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

PS - Many thanks to Mari Adkins for the link!


(10 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]peadarog
2009-04-22 05:23 pm UTC (link)
It was a good article all right, but more for the general public than other authors! We know...

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]franfriel
2009-04-22 05:38 pm UTC (link)
Agreed, and I think it's very helpful for new writers to see what they're getting into.

Always a pleasure to see you, Peadar.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]emrecom
2009-04-22 06:34 pm UTC (link)
It's truly disconcerting to think there are more people in my part of Manhattan than in the entire readership of an NYT bestseller.

Otherwise, she 1. has serious cojones and 2, echoes my experience and the experience of a friend who was cranking out a niche NF book every year, selling well and still barely breaking 40K.

I wonder if Kindle and things like that will help but it doesn't seem Americans are in the habit of reading for pleasure.

Of course, the ludicrous cost of hardbacks and even over-size paperbacks can't be helping things. So maybe the e-reader idea might help a bit.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]mariadkins
2009-04-22 06:46 pm UTC (link)
I know Douglas Clegg raves about his Kindle II. He loves that thing!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]peadarog
2009-04-22 06:37 pm UTC (link)
And you, Fran :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]mariadkins
2009-04-22 06:46 pm UTC (link)
new writers need to know. i get sick and laugh a lot whenever someone says on twitter's sunday afternoon #writechat that they're going to be rich and famous and/or "publish a book and quit" their day job .... um. right.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]mariadkins
2009-04-22 06:45 pm UTC (link)
phew! the dude on that book cover is HAWT!!!

(Reply to this)


[info]las
2009-04-22 10:05 pm UTC (link)
Her article seems to fit with what I've seen from Gary's royalty statements from mass-market publishers -- reserves against returns are a bitch :-\

(Reply to this)


[info]ajjones
2009-04-22 10:07 pm UTC (link)
I wish this info was available to the non-writer general public who consider no writer successful unless they're filthy rich and in Oprah's book club.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]mariadkins
2009-05-04 12:01 am UTC (link)
AMEN!!!

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